I've got that 40th anniversary edition. Haven't played the album in a couple of years so I can't really remember the difference in sound between the mono and stereo discs. You get a booklet showing some of Syd's artwork in that package, if that's any useful info for you.

I read somewhere that the stereo version was missing some sounds and the remastered mono version was better. I do not own either, and it is one of the few Floyd albums that I have not bought yet. I wonder if there are any reviews comparing the mono and stereo version.

The mono version has no reverb. The vocals of Syd Barrett sound almost as if he is sitting in your living room singing. The presence of the instruments marks a more definite and precise pronounciation of notes that you would normally define to be distant in volume on the stereo version. It is so much more up front and in the listener's face. The track from the mono version to make the ultimate comparison to the stereo version is "Bike". Again the sound is more pronounced when compared to the stereo version which has a hall effect where just the right amount of reverb has been added to the mix causing the band to feel that much further away.

I remember 35 years ago that the Dark Side of the Moon LP in the American version stunk like you would not believe, and that the English pressing has a lot more in the background and details ... that were missing or intentionally obscured in the American album.

Guess what was brought out in the "remaster" ... same as the English LP!

The same thing happened to The Beatles' Sgt Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour ...

To me, seeing this "remastered" everything, is just another excuse for selling something old ... and perhaps the only albums I would love to hear remastered (I think Dean will agree) are the Kinks' really old stuff ... because so much of it is lost and just left behind and it was funny, fun and entertaining, and never boring!

... none of the hits, none of the time ... you will, eventually, find your own art inside! Try it! www.pedrosena.com

Thanks for the response. I am not really interested in artwork. I would love to hear thoughts on the music as well as the extra disc that I believe is labeled as singles.

Ah yes the third disc, the main reason I bought the 40th anniversary edition. Going by the back cover the tracks are:

1. Arnold Layne - Available on other compilations.

2. Candy And A Currant Bun.

3. See Emily Play - Available on other compilations.

4. Apples And Oranges - That third, unsuccessful single right before Syd left, if I remember correctly.

5. Paintbox - Is on Relics.

6. Interstellar Overdrive (French edit).

7. Apples And Oranges (studio version).

8. Matilda Mother (alternative version).

9. Interstellar Overdrive (take 6).

This post should be very useful. Indeed, the third CD should be a good reason to get this version of the album, specially if you don't have the album yet, nor any compilation with those singles in the 3rd CD. Plus, my favourite version of Interstellar Overdrive is here (it's just that I like the beginning of the song very much, but then there's a bit too much noice for too long... and this version - I think the french edit - cuts it just fine for me). Plus, the alternate version of Matilda Mother is interesting (it is sort of the same song, but a different recording sounding slightly different, and the "story" being told by "Matilda's Mother" is different).

On the other side, I haven't payed too much attention between Mono and Stereo in order to say if one has a better sound than the other, or if Stereo loses sounds from the Mono... but sure enough the stereo version is a lot of fun to hear with headphones.

Thanks! I ended up getting the 40th anniversary version. I prefer the stereo version, but the mono version also sounds good and is worth the listen. It is a great album and very different from their later releases.

MONO PLEASE!!! The stereo is abused is excessively and the organ is almost non existent. Listen to the two different versions of Astronomy Domine and Interstellar. If you like gimmicky noises the stereo is better, if you like to actually hear the organ and the rest of the guys then do the mono. Think about it, if people are even considering the Mono as an option there's obviously a damn good reason.

Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell?
I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance.

MONO PLEASE!!! The stereo is abused is excessively and the organ is almost non existent. Listen to the two different versions of Astronomy Domine and Interstellar. If you like gimmicky noises the stereo is better, if you like to actually hear the organ and the rest of the guys then do the mono. Think about it, if people are even considering the Mono as an option there's obviously a damn good reason.

There are about 20 versions of Astronomy Domine ... and at least that many versions of Interstellar Overdrive in many bootlegs ... and all of them are better than Mono or Stereo and no one will ever hear them ... the feeling itself was way better than the rest ... and I think that our run for "mono" or "stereo" has a lot less to do with the music itself and what it meant in the first place .... than anything else ...

I don't need a cleaned up version of either, or Dark Side of the Moon, or The Wall ... I would rather have the honesty, the truth, and the desire to tell a nice story and show us the different versions and what the song might or might not have gone through ... anything else is crap and just money and has no artistic value whatsoever ... the technology can not invent something that was not there ... and if you think there is, or is ... it's an illusion ... that will deceive you.

There is, and this is just an opinion, a really bad air and attitude, maybe Roger's, maybe David's, maybe Nick's ... but in the end, there is a lot that is being left behind ... and it might be said ... water under the bridge ... but in the end, what it is doing is hiding some really valid information for what the "art" that became Pink Floyd was all about ... something that will forever be buried as just another lucky rock'n'roll band, until these guys wake up from their overly rich and comfortably dumb dreams!

History doesn't lie ... but it can be sidetracked ... I simply do not find that Roger has been able to sit with someone that he enjoys yakking with, that is not just a fan ... so he can talk and appreciate the legacy he has left behind ... and there are a lot of really good things in there ...

... none of the hits, none of the time ... you will, eventually, find your own art inside! Try it! www.pedrosena.com

This Is one of my favorites albums Started to listen to it in Stereo and it was an amazing album but the difference between mono and stereo for this album particully is pretty evident whole new experience I would say Mono is the way to go, Interstellar Overdrive sounds more clear and less of a treble kinda heavy pink floyd song mono make it sound more delicate anyways Stereo or Mono Great Album always been a fan of Syd.

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